MAP

The up and down in the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) continues. Just in time for the beginning of the ISH, the worldwide largest trade fair for bathroom, building, energy and climate technology in Frankfurt, Germany, the Ministry of Environment published its new conditions for the MAP subsidy programme, which covers solar thermal installations, biomass boilers and heat pumps. The new regulations came into force on the same day, the 15 March (see database of incentive programmes).

The German solar thermal market decreased by 26 % in 2010. According to the solar industry association BSW-Solar and the heating industry association BDH, 1.15 million m² (805 MW) of new collector area were installed on German roofs last year. The market volume of 2010 is almost as low as the one in 2007, one year before the enormous boom in 2008. Compared to the market volume of that year, it equals a 22 % increase.
Photo: Source: ESTIF/BSW-Solar

This report was commissioned by the New York State Public Service Commission and examines the potential of solar thermal technologies for use in widespread applications, relating specifically to New York State.

The report examines and compares current programs in place throughout Europe, Canada, California, Illinois and other states in the US.

The report goes into detail concerning various recommendations such as rebates, NY State project initiations and higher builder incentives.

Has observed the German solar thermal market for decades: Graduate engineer Dietmar Lange had, for many years, been Technical Director at various German collector manufacturers and solar thermal system providers until he became a freelance consultant two years ago. Solarthermalworld.org spoke with him about the technological trends and political developments on the largest European market.

In Germany, the disparity between the photovoltaic market on the one side and the solar heating and cooling market on the other is increasing. “Whereas in 2004, the turnover of the PV sector with EUR 1.2 billion was twice as high as the turnover of the solar thermal industry, it rose to ten times the revenues of the solar heating and cooling sector last year,” Joachim Berner, journalist and solar thermal expert, argues in an article in Sonne Wind & Wärme.. In absolute figures: EUR 1.2 billion of solar heating and cooling versus EUR 11 billion of photovoltaics.
Figure: Schüco

Prospects for the German solar thermal industry remain gloomy. For the second time in a row, the market has shrunk significantly. The installed collector area in 2009 (1,615,000 m²) was already 23 % less than the record figure in 2008 (2,100,000 m²). In 2010, however, installation figures have again been down from last year's figures by around 20 %. “The drop in installations is hurting the industry badly, because most German collector and tank manufacturers have just invested in new production facilities, which are now running below capacity,” Helmut Jäger, Second Chairman of solar industry association BSW Solar and Managing Director of Solvis, a manufacturer and supplier of renewable heating systems, says.

After many weeks of waiting and worrying, it is now official: On 7 July, the budget committee of the German parliament unblocked the EUR 115 million funds intended for the country's market incentive programme (MAP). The German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), which is responsible for the MAP, confirmed in a press release a day later that, as of 12 July, applications are accepted again.

The after effects of the financial crisis are again threatening the German solar sector: Not only had the industry to cope with a 25% decrease in sales in 2009, but now the National Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) seems to already run out of money – although the new year is not even half over.

The German solar thermal market more than doubled in 2008. According to the solar industry association BSW-Solar and the heating industry association BDH; 2.1 million m² of new collector area (1.5 GW_th) were installed on German roofs last year (940,000 m² = 658 MW_th in 2007). This proves to be a great success after the downswing in 2007, when the German solar thermal market experienced a 40 % decrease in collector area installations.